Hostilities by the Optic Backlights

[Rattrap]

OOC: Crossposted from the Rat in a Cage thread.

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Maybe Rattrap's just weird; he usually doesn't mind being knocked off his feet when there's a chick involved. But you know what? He'll make an exception just for Blackarachnia, he decides as the tunnel floor shudders just enough to throw off his balance. Down he goes, skidplate over CPU. See what he gets for treading lightly?

He won't complain about that web missing him, though. He hauls out his blaster instead and takes aim on the spider as he rolls onto his back.

"I prefer ta call it an aroma," he informs her with affected loftiness over his gun sights. Unless editorial forces prevent it, he's popping off a couple shots before he scrambles to his feet so he can avoid remaining a prone target.

[Blackarachnia (BW)]

The Widow releases her grip on the ceiling, falling before the blast could catch. "Well I call it losing my lunch! Terrorize!" she yelled, unfolding into a form no less deadly than the Black Widow she disguised herself as. Launching out with her pincer hands to grab the small Maximal.

[Rattrap]

"If eight-eyes packs yer lunches, lady, I'm surprised ya can get 'em down inna first place," Rattrap snaps right back. No, the irony of his commenting on the dietary habits of others today hasn't escaped him, but he just snacks on the occasional bit of rubbish.

Aw, slag, now he has a peeved seven-foot spider chick lunging at him.

"Whoa!" Grimacing inwardly, he claps his gaping mouth shut and drops a bit, grabbing her forearms from the underside, then… falls backward. Don't worry, he has only the noblest of intentions in dragging Blackarachnia down atop him – that is, planting both feet in her midsection and sending her right on over with a grunted "Hands off!" Momentum. It's a good thing sometimes.

Too bad it doesn't help him scramble back to an upright position. No, he gets to take care of that little detail all on his own. Once he's on his feet again, he can't help a smirk and a shrug.

"Don't get me wrong, now," he says and oh so casually points his blaster in Blackarachnia's general direction. "I can't blame ya fer wantin' t' get yer claws on such a fine specimen, but… ehh… it just wouldn't work out between us, y'know?"

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OOC: Throw executed with permission of Blackarachnia's player.

[Blackarachnia (BW)]

Noblest of intentions, yeah right...

"Ack!" Blackarachnia yelped as she hit the wall.

"Even if you weren't the most repulsive, self-deluded creature in two realities," She says, drawing her own blaster, loading it with a missile, "I'm a black widow. Of course it wouldn't work out between us." She fired at the Maximal.

[Rattrap]

That abortive squawk Rattrap just made? Yeah, that was him realising he should've shut up and run instead of getting a missile aimed at his face. This is what happens when he decides to play blaster tag in the dark with a Pred he's never seen fight before.

He drops and rolls, thankfully evading the full brunt of the missile. That sort of thing leaves a nasty mark. He isn't far enough from the wall to avoid the blast shockwave, though, and the tunnel inverts itself until he lands hard.

Okay, no more mister nice rat. Soon as his head stops spinning.

[Blackarachnia (BW)]

Blackarachnia got up from her unceremonious impact on the wall. Trimphantly, she strolled towards Rattrap.

"Aww, forgotten how to use that big mouth, have you?" She said with mock disappointment in her voice. "Pity..."

Her pincer-hand crammed a new projectile into her gun. "Well let's see if blasting your jaw off your face will fix things."

A few metres from Rattrap, he pointed the missile directly at his head.

[Rattrap]

It takes Rattrap a second to realise what he's staring at. That's a Blackarachnia with another missile aimed at him. That, folks, is what is officially known as A Problem. Guns are good for fixing Problems. Now, where'd he put his blaster?

Aw, man. There it is, just a little out of reach. Gonna have to make a lunge for it if he doesn't want to get blasted into little pieces (and he doesn't).

"Thanks," he grumbles, edging his left arm in for better leverage, "but I like my jaw right where it is!" He shoves himself toward his blaster and snatches it by the grip. It's a messy grab, but it's good enough to reach the trigger and that's all he needs. He doesn't even bother aiming; he just peppers the area with photon rounds. Whether or not he actually hits Blackarachnia is beside the point. He just doesn't want her to hit him.

[Blackarachnia (BW)]

Blackarachnia both pulls the trigger and instinctively flinches away at the same time. The missile went flying wild, connecting with the cavern wall.

Sadly, they don't make mines like they used to. The multiple shockwaves from the missile blasts caused the ground to shake, and a few rocks to fall from the ceiling. A rather large one falls on Blackarachnia, temporarily trapping her.

She shrieks in frustration. She had him, dead in her sights! She struggles to lift the weight that's got her pinned down on her front.

Mind you, Rattrap is still in her sights. She tries to fire a few blasts, but they fall far from their mark.

[Rattrap]

Rattrap, still prone when the missile goes wide, throws his arms over his head. No time to get up, just cover the vital bits. Surprisingly, the whole tunnel doesn't come down on him, just a few rocks big enough to make sure he'll remember them none too fondly tomorrow morning. By some misguided stroke of fortune, he remains free to the stale breeze while the spider gets squashed. Too bad the look ain't permanent.

"Ya missed," he points out with mocking good cheer and a derisive chortle as he ducks her next handful of wild shots and stands, dusting himself off. The smirk fades quickly and his optics narrow as he looks her over. Oh, taking her out would be so easy. His grip on his blaster tightens as he considers it. He even starts to lift it and aim.

After a tense moment, he just turns away, scowling.

"…You'd bettah be real slaggin' grateful I'm in a hurry," he declares in a low tone that makes it very clear he'd rather just put a round through her CPU and be done with the whole thing. Instead, he takes off down the tunnel to resume getting his tail out of here.

Oh, he's gonna regret this decision later, he just knows it.

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OOC: And off scurries the Maximals' greatest spy to find himself a way out of this miserable maze.

[Blackarachnia (BW)]

Blackarachnia shrieked in frustration again. "VERMIN!!" She yelled at the retreating Rattrap.

In a fit of desperation, she tried her radio. "This is Blackarachnia. I've found Rattrap." All she got in return was static. Gah, accursed mines.

Finally, she managed to rock the, well, rock off her. Once she dusted the stray pebbles off her front, Blackarachnia took a moment to ensure that the Maximal had left, and then made a mental note of this tunnel, and the direction Rattrap scurried off to. In some spare time, she was going to delve deeper into here and see what she could find. Or more specifically, where Rattrap might have ran off to. But for now, she had to limp her way back to the others.

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OOC: Exit Blackarachnia too. This thread is now empty.